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Benoit Assou-Ekotto on the importance of having a legacy off the pitch

Benoit Assou-Ekotto is not your average footballer. In fact, he has something of a philanthropic streak in him.

The defender, currently on loan at QPR from Tottenham, set
up his own charity, BAE32, which focuses on education for young
people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. And in
order to further develop a legacy which goes beyond the football
pitch he strives to help out with other charities during the
off-season.

"Every year I try to find something to do in my holiday, not
just chill around the pool and enjoy the sun," Assou-Ekotto told
Standard Sport. "I prefer other people to remember me as a good
person who tried to help people, not just a footballer. So my
partner and I try to be involved in this kind of cause to try to
help kids in general."

His most recent charitable endeavour has been with The
Supporters Club, BT Sport's charitable initiative, which uses sport
to help underprivileged young people both in the UK and abroad
through funds raised by BT Sport customers, and, BT itself.

Last summer, Assou-Ekotto travelled to Mwanza, Tanzania to see
the work of Caretakers of the Environment Tanzania (COET), which
has received substantial funding from The Supporters Club, to
support the city's many street children.

COET focuses on a number of projects in the city, including an
emergency drop-in centre, a restaurant which offers vocational and
hospitality training and the Tanzanian Street Children's (TSC)
Sports Academy.

Assou-Ekotto visited the TSC to help choose a squad to represent
Tanzania at the Street Child World Cup in Brazil, which starts on
March 28. The tournament will feature teams of street children from
countries glbally, drawing from a network of outstanding projects
all campaigning for the rights of street children.

"I like to be involved in this kind of action
because when you live in Europe and you have the chance to be a
footballer, for many young kids you are an icon," he said. "When I
was in Tanzania, I saw about one hundred kids happy to see me
because they see me on the TV. I saw smiles on all their
faces."

The Cameroon international even took part in an impromptu game
of football – "all I needed was a ball and a bottle of water," he
said.

The time he spent there made a big impact on the 30-year-old,
but above all, the children he met stick out in his memory.

"When I was there, they explained to me that they are all kids
from the street and they don't have parents," he said. "So I was
really surprised because they were very polite and respectful with
me and between themselves. They have rules together."

And it is this impression left on Assou-Ekotto which the Street
Child World Cup is trying to promote to the rest of the world.
Aside from offering the children a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to play in Brazil, the SCWC is looking to challenge the negative
perceptions that many have of homeless children. Such a change in
attitude, they hope, will facilitate the movement of children away
from the streets and into safer, more secure lifestyles.

"I can imagine when you are in the street and you don't have an
objective in your life, it can be very, very sad," said
Assou-Ekotto. "I think the Street Child World Cup will be the best
because maybe [the children] want to be footballers as well. It is
the time to see how this could be a good thing for these kids.
Education is very important and through things like SCWC we can
look to provide better support for these young people using
football to attract them and quality education to keep them on the
right path.

He added: "I am keen on focusing the education on
Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics because these are
the subjects that build instead of consume and I hope we can find
not just great athletes but also some great minds on the
streets."

In the inaugural 2010 SCWC in South Africa, Tanzania went all
the way to final, but ultimately lost out to India. But despite the
disappointment, the effect the tournament has had on Tanzania's
street children is manifest. Two boys, both in their teens, have
secured professional contracts, bought their own homes and been
called up for Tanzania Under 20s. Two girls have had trials with
the Tanzania national team. Elsewhere, there have been
scholarships, moves into self-employment and opportunities for
secondary school education.

So can Tanzania go one better at this year's SCWC and walk away
as world champions?

"Well, I don't know the other countries," Assou-Ekotto said.
"But Tanzania play well – they have very good players."

The Supporters Club is BT Sport's charitable initiative. BT
Sport customers can simply add £1, £3 or £5 to their monthly bill.
Visit supportersclub.org. Funds raised by The Supporters Club from
BT Sport customers and BT, funded three charities who are sending
teams to the Street Child World Cup in Brazil which kicks off
tomorrow. Team India, Team Tanzania and Team Brazil Girls received
grants to support local street children. Visit streetchildworldcup.org